Incardine
Incarnadine is a short story included as part of TSFIA. Summary Penetrating through the wall of wind resistance and flying upon a sea of green, barely paying heed to the trees tops that are barely touching the feet of his machine. Maintaining his max thrust, and following the curve of the local terrain in his controlled flight. “Blow, wind! Come, wrack...!” The endless jungle stretched as far as his eyes could see. The shockwave caused by his passing left a clear cut line in the jungle beneath him as he flew by. A superb machine for something that we acquired for so little costs. This is how a TSF should be. The man that tamed this rare TSF let loose a smile on his lips, and his barley suppressed sense of excitement flowed through him. It has been too long… For this man, known to his allies and colleagues only as 'Christopher', being a soldier of war and conflict is all he seeks. For a man like him, who has faced and lived through a hundred battles and still seeking more, an offer to do something like this is something he will not pass up. For to long we have been nothing but mercenaries, playing the role of the garbage man. A chance to take on those soulless dolls and their depraved masters is something we will not pass up on. And today, with their newest 'acquired trophies', things are looking good in their favor. Even now their prey scatters in all directions to escape his wrath. “Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather….” His spirit rises and his warrior soul awakens. “The multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red!” September 21, 2001. Major 'Christopher' leading 4 TSF known as the “Eagles of the East” Mig-29OVT. They have now effectively made one of the last remaining natural green rain forests of the world in Alaska their hunting grounds. “Quoting Shakespeare as a time like this. You sure are something, sir.” The voice of one of the major’s subordinate sounded full of jest and a bit of ridicule, but for the 4 man team that have fought and lived together for years, this was quite acceptable. And he knows that what she is asking behind her jab. The meaning of quote in its original Shakespearean context spoke of regret and damnation by blood. “Macbeth was a foolish, fearful, and tragic king. We do what we are about to do out of own free will. We stain our hand in blood out of choice as warriors, am I not correct?” He reassured his subordinates with a confident smile and a rousing tone, since after all, despite their skills and experience, none of his subordinates had the conviction and will that he had. Still, to see pilots of their skill and experience falter in their will, and their hearts carried the first signs of doubt. The “Scarlet twins” are something else indeed. Recalling the details of their prey for this mission, even Christopher felt a tinged of anticipation in his heart. As part of the crew assembled for the strike on the UN’s famed Yukon Base, Major Christopher and his crew volunteered for the task of taking out the Scarlet Twins during the attack. During their extensive planning of the base assault, their spies and inside contacts had provided a detailed manifest of all events and logistics of the 6 week UN Multinational Joint 'Blue Flag' exercise. Along with this manifest was a detailed list of all teams and pilots participating in this exercise, and theirs detailed service records. Needless to say, the Scarlet Twin’s combat record was nothing short of impossibly impressive. They are merely test pilots playing war in a safe and controlled environment, these records means nothing. Of course, for someone placed highly in their organization like Christopher, he is privy to a bit more top secret information than their average grunt. And he is well aware of the nature behind the Scarlet Twins’s creation by the Soviet Union. Truly, these dolls are abominations... “For all their abilities, they are still human, and as weapons made by humans, they are no more different than any other tools born of war, and would ultimately be destroyed by war it self.” Now the 4 machines of Idol flight are down to only their chainsaw motor blades, carried no more live ammunition, and their fuel level was approaching empty. And other Mig-29 units under Major Christopher’s command have engaged Idol’s reinforcements. Having studied the schedule and unit disposition in the manifest, they have picked the most ideal day and moment to strike Yukon during the Blue Flag exercise. “We have stripped them of their fangs, its time people, let us show these war gaming fools the horror of a real battlefield!” They possessed the 2 most dangerous weapons in human warfare, the element of surprise, and sufficient information. It is up to them to show to the world that with sufficient planning, any foe can be defeated. “Approaching target. Pull up and achieve height advantage on them!” With his order, the 4 Mig29-OVTs disengaged NOE and aimed for the sky. Quickly positioning themselves high above the fleeing 4 units of Idol flight, still hugging the deck. With the falling Sun behind them, the Mig 29-OVTs caste their menacing shadows on their fleeing prey. “Focus fire. We will pick them off one by one. Designated target 4 as priority target. Load 120mm APFSDS sabot round. Aim for their jump unit.” The Idol units crisscrossed their path and began weaving in and out in an attempt to throw off their aim. But diving downwards, the Mig29-OVTs achieved terminal acceleration and closed the distance. “Max range standby. All units, Fox 2!” September 21, 2001. After losing all its escorts to terrorist forces, Idol 1 was saved thanks to timely intervention by allied forces. Having their target spirited away at the last critical moment, Major Christopher can only divert his frustrations on to the rest of the Yukon Base. Category:TSFIA Category:Total Eclipse